Improvement in railway switches



PATENT OFFICE.

WALLACE W. GELATT,'OF KEOKUK, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT. IN RAILWAY SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,759, dated June 11, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

I, WALLACE W. GELATT,Of Ke0k11k,IOWa, have made a new and useful Improvement in Railway Switch or Oomposin g Tables, of which the following is a specification:

The object of this invention is to form an arrangement for use in making up trains, and distributing cars from trains, without the inconveniences attending the ordinary switch, especially in crowded yards; and it consists in making a portion of two tracks into a table with lateral motion so that a car from one track can be moved over to the other track readily, with requisite details, as set forth hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a ground plan, and Fig. 2 a side elevation showing the invention.

The rails A A show one track, and rails B B another parallel track. The rails O C also show a portion of a third track on the table D. A portion of each track crosses and forms part of tableD. This table stands upon wheels E E E E, which rest on rails F F, in such a way that they may run thereon, when desired, in a direction at right angles to the railway tracks, and so that the section of one track with one or more cars may be brought into the line of the other track, to which the cars may thus be transferred without requiring the train to be run back and forth therefor, and without occupying a considerable space in the switching yard for such running to and fro. The table is moved sidewise by means of the shaft G on which are wheels H H,-meshing into racks I I, on the table. The shaft G has fixed bearings in the parts K K, forming portions of the foundation, and it is turned by a man standing in pit L, by means of crank M, or by gearing from some stationary power through the bevel-wheel N, or by' other suitable means. The table is locked into place to keep the sections in line with the tracks by means of sliding parts 0 O, beside the rails of track, and forming part of a frame which is connected with a lever, P, so that it may be pushed along the track engaging with the rails on the table to keep them in place, and may be drawn back, as shown, to free the same by hand, through lever P.

I claim s The shaft G, carrying pinions H H, adapted to be turned by hand or power, arranged with reference to the lower track in the pit, and to the racks on the bottom of the carriage, all as shown and described.

WALLACE W. GELATT. Witnesses:

GEO. M. S. KING, SAMUEL JACOB WALLACE. 

